Customer Service Guidelines & Policies

Bonded, insured, business license and pet sitter certified

We are bonded and insured through Business Insurers of the Carolinas. We have a business license for Mecklenburg County. We are accredited by the Better Business Bureau. We are certified in Professional Pet Sitting through both the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS) and Pet Sitters International (PSI).

Scheduling & Visit times

Scheduling is on a first come first serve basis and we will do our best to accommodate your needs. Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC will visit at the requested times as closely as possible. However, if an unforeseen situation arises, the time may be adjusted.

Confirmation Email (Prior to out-of-town Departure)

Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC will send a confirmation email no less than two days prior to each departure in order to verify all information (dates, contact numbers, etc.) are still correct. Please make sure you receive this email to ensure your pet’s needs are carried out as intended.

Early Returns

Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC carefully schedules our time to service you and our other clients. Therefore, credits for early returns or last minute changes to pet care will be offered with a 24 hours notice. If you cancel less than 24 hours, you will still be charged for your first visit and the remainder will be credited to your Little Friends Pet Sitting account.

Cancellations

A full two-day notice prior to the date of the first visit is required for cancellations for a refund. Failure to provide any notice will result in paying for those visits. Cancellations MUST be handled by the client and the office. The client must contact the office staff via email, phone, or edit their appointment in Time To Pet. Changes made through their pet sitter will not be accepted.

Holiday Cancellations

Pet sitting services and kennels receive more requests for reservations than they can handle during the holiday time periods and we may have turned away other clients because we have reserved time for you during this busy season. If you cancel seven days or less prior to any holiday, you will be charged for one-half of the visits.

Inclement Weather

Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC will use our best judgment while caring for your pet and home at the time of inclement weather (primarily severe storms, hurricanes, etc.). We will try to carry out your instructions to the best of our ability. The care we provide your pet and it’s safety is our first concern. The inclement weather plan will be as follows:

Every effort will be made to drive to your home

The service schedule may be changed, interrupted, or altered due to circumstances

If it is not possible to drive safely to your home, your emergency contact will be notified

You will be notified that the above-mentioned contingency plan has been activated.

Emergency Contact

Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC has requested the name and phone number of a person living nearby who has access to your home. This should be a person close enough to walk to your home if roads are impassable. If we are physically unable to drive to your home this information is needed so that we can contact this person to request their assistance to check on your pet. Garage door openers are not operational in the event of power outages. In the event that the customer does not provide a nearby emergency contact with access to your home for Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC, Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC will provide service, but not until conditions allow us to reach your home safely.

Medications / Vaccinations

Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC will attempt to administer medications as directed but cannot be held responsible for complications that arise as a result. Excessively shy cats with medical problems can be a serious risk. If you have such an animal, this must be thoroughly discussed. Under no circumstances will Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC service any pet that has any form of contagious illness. This is for the safety of our other customers. Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC requires that all pets have the necessary vaccinations and immunizations before service begins. If a Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC pet care provider is bitten or exposed to any disease or aliment received from a clients pet, which has not been properly or currently vaccinated, the client will be responsible for all costs and damages that may incur.

Access to your Home by Others

If customer allows any other person access to their home during Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC’s contract period, Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC cannot be held liable for any damages to property or pets as a result. Please notify Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC if someone will be in your home. Please also notify the person in your home that Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC is coming so that your visitor is not surprised by our entrance.

Fences

Fenced in yards are wonderful play spaces for pets, however, no fence system is totally secure for your pet’s safety. Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC does not accept responsibility or liability for any customer’s pets that escape, are injured or become lost, fatal or otherwise, when pets are left out or given access to a fenced in area. This includes electronic, wood, metal, or any other fence type.

Pet and House/Yard Clean-up

Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC will properly dispose of pet waste in your outside waste receptacle, and will do our best to clean up any accidents your pet may have. Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC is not responsible for carpet/flooring stains created by your pet(s). We do request that you provide plastic bags, towels, cleaning products, paper towels, trash bags and indicate where you would like the waste disposed.

Collars and Leashes

All dogs will be required to be on leash during outdoor walks.

Privacy Policy

Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC highly respects our clients entrusting us with the care of their home and their pets. We do recommend you inform a trusted neighbor that while you are away, Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC will be caring for your pets and your home.

Thermostats

To ensure the health and comfort of your pet, please leave your thermostat setting within a normal comfortable range (68-78F). If we enter a home and the thermostat is set below 60 degrees, we will raise the temperature in your home and notify you.

Animal Behavior

Animal behavior can be unpredictable. Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC does not accept responsibility for liability for animal behavior, normal or otherwise, which results in injury to the client’s animal. Further, if a Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC pet care provider is harmed or injured by the client’s animal, the client/owner accepts full responsibility for the cost of any necessary medical attention required by either the Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC pet care provider or by the animal.

Changes Regarding Pets Care

Payment

Payment is due two days prior to service; checks are not accepted. Customer will be quoted the rate of the total payment when the appointment confirmation is sent, via email, and Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC will email an electronic receipt once your card has been signed.

Keys

Please consider letting Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC to retain your house key. Keys are kept in a secured lock system and are coded for customer confidentially. If you choose not to have Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC retain a key, picking up and returning a key requires two (2) extra trips and there will be a $8 charge per trip for time and mileage. A second option for key return is via U.S. Mail. To cover costs, the charge for this option is $5. The last, and least preferred option due to safety concerns, is to leave your key is a predetermined place agreed upon prior to the start of sitting. Please check the key you provide Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC to ensure it will open your door!

Unacceptable Pets

Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC has the right to refuse animals who appear to be aggressive, ill, etc. or could cause harm to Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC or others. We do not have to provide reasoning for refusing to work with you or your pet.

Abandon Policy

If you abandon your pet in our care. We have the right to report your actions to the appropriate authority, give your pet up for adoption, etc. All expenses incurred during this time period the client will be held 100% liable for reimbursing Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC.

Lockbox Key Service

You may elect to have Little Friends keep a key if routine pet sitting is needed. In addition, one of the services we offer is letting owners in if you have locked yourself out. A much more reasonable rate than a locksmith or breaking a window!

Hiring Our Sitters

We have an extensive interview and background check process. All of our sitters must LOVE animals and have experience in owning them, pet sitting for others, volunteer work with animal rescue groups or have a vocation in pet care such as a vet technician. After a face to face interview, we obtain feedback from their references and/or previous employers as well as obtain a background check to ensure no criminal activity is in their past. Our sitters are professional, trustworthy, reliable and again, LOVE pets!

Sitter Assignment

Each client is assigned a primary pet sitter who will perform the initial free consultation. A back up sitter is also assigned in the event the primary sitter is unavailable. The client can choose to meet the back up or rely on Little Friends to ensure an appropriate back up sitter is assigned.